Page 8 of Only You

Millie got up and hugged Ana. Ana froze, but Millie ignored her, squeezing her tighter.

“‘Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver.’ – Barbara De Angelis,” Millie added, stepping back.

Ana nodded, unable to speak. Millie wiped her own eyes as she sat back down.

“Right, now there are sandwiches to eat! I take it you can skip the library now?”

Ana nodded, instead leaning forward and grabbing the remaining sandwich.

“Thank you,” she said, smiling at the two young women in front of her.

Chapter Five

Andrew

Andrew glanced down at his phone and saw he had a missed call from his mother. It was unusual for her to ring him during the day while he was at work. His heart sank. Had she been called about Olivia? Was Olivia in trouble again? It was possible the school would ring her. She and Dad were down as Olivia’s next of kin with full disclosure.

After they returned home the previous evening, Andrew couldn’t get any more information from Olivia. Her brief admission in the car had been all she would give him. Then she had clammed up, giving him sad, wide eyes that tore his heart in two, telling him she was tired and wanted to go to bed. No parent wanted to see their child in pain, especially when they wouldn’t share what the problem was.

Andrew glanced at the clock. He had twenty minutes until his next patient was due. Picking up his phone, he dialled his mum’s number. She answered after three rings.

“Hello, Darling. This is a lovely surprise.”

The breath Andrew was holding whooshed out, disturbing the papers on his desk. “Hey, Mum. I saw a missed call. I just wanted to check everything was fine.”

“Oh yes, of course, it is. Why wouldn’t it be?”

Andrew realised at that moment he hadn’t updated his mum on all the latest goings on with Olivia, not wanting to worry them. He also hadn’t wanted her to probe Olivia and make her clam up even more. His mum was great, but sometimes she was like a dog with a bone for sorting things out, and he didn’t want to make matters worse.

“No, it’s okay,” Andrew said. “What can I do for you?”

His mum’s breathing picked up. “It’s nothing. I can talk to you later. I’m sorry I bothered you, but I got overexcited, and then your father reminded me you were at work.”

Andrew paused. Excited? What were his parents excited about? Had he missed something? An anniversary? Birthday? When Andrew said nothing, his mum carried on.

“We’ve booked our tickets to Australia.” The excitement in his mum’s voice was palpable. “We leave in a month.”

Andrew felt the blood drain from his face, and he slumped back in his chair, pulling his phone away from his ear and staring at it. They were going to Australia to visit Andrew’s brother and fiancée. Worst still, they’d told him at least three months ago, so he could arrange alternative childcare. How had he forgotten? Andrew dragged a hand through his hair. He knew how he’d forgotten. The hospital board had announced he’d beThe New Face of the Team.With both work and the television studio, he’d put it out of his mind. Well, put it off and had then forgotten.

“Are you still there?”

“Yes. Yes... sorry Mum, Suzie just dropped some papers in,” Andrew lied to cover his rising panic as he put his mother on speaker phone.

This was all he needed. Olivia was going off the rails, and now his parents were going to be halfway around the world. He felt like his world was collapsing in on him, and he wasn’t sure how he would get around it.

“Andrew.” His mum’s tone brought him out of his panic. “You did remember we were going to Australia?”

The previous excitement had left her voice, and she had taken on a stern, no-nonsense tone.

Andrew shook his head, sighing, even though he knew she couldn’t see him.

“No, in all honesty, Mum, I had forgotten. But...” he added, “That is not your problem. That is mine, and I have everything in hand, so please don’t worry.”

“Damn your father. He told me not to keep harassing you and that you’d have it all in hand. Now look at what has happened. What are you doing with Olivia?”

His mum wasn’t about to be deterred.

“It’s fine. I have childcare in hand. Please don’t worry. This is an exciting time for you and Dad. I know Chris is looking forward to you visiting.”

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